Chapter 51: Boss Cao? Where is that bastard?

The two of them took a cab to Hailong Real Estate Group.

One could truly call Hailong Group a supercarrier; just one of its real estate subsidiary companies occupied all eighteen floors of an office building in a prime commercial location. It was the sole tenant of the entire building, which, apart from office spaces, boasted a full range of facilities from entertainment to leisure and fitness, all impeccably complete. Such enviable benefits made this place the ultimate goal for many in their careers. Applicants flocked here daily, yet only a select few ever succeeded in joining. Here, academic degrees were the least valuable asset; only personal ability truly mattered. Thus, a graduate from a prestigious university might end up as a regular clerk, while someone who never finished high school could well be their superior.

“Just a single real estate subsidiary is this large,” Liu Molan remarked in awe, gazing at the grand facade. “I can hardly imagine what the headquarters must be like.”

“They just have more money than they know what to do with,” Qin Yang replied with nonchalance.

Liu Molan shot him a glare. “Let’s be careful with what we say once we’re inside.”

Qin Yang nodded, promising to behave. They entered the building, and following the directions of the receptionist, arrived at an office. Qin Yang accompanied Liu Molan as her assistant. Though it was technically his family’s turf, he dutifully played the role, trailing silently behind her. The man they were meeting was named Xu Hai, the project manager for Hailong Real Estate’s new land development. He had met with many people that day—most of them businessmen seeking to establish a good relationship with Hailong through this collaboration.

Qin Yang had never met Xu Hai before, nor did he remember him. He couldn’t be blamed; the former playboy of the family had spent his time in dissipation, knowing precious little about the company’s inner workings. Xu Hai, despite being a senior manager at Hailong Real Estate, had never had occasion to meet the young master either—otherwise, he would never have made Qin Yang wait standing.

Liu Molan was organizing her prepared documents, while Qin Yang, uninterested, let his gaze wander. After waiting seven or eight minutes, he grew restless and whispered to her, “I’m going to the restroom. You go ahead and talk.”

“All right, but don’t wander off,” Liu Molan cautioned.

Taking advantage of the lack of attention, Qin Yang slipped out, stretched lazily, and watched the busy staff scurrying about. He couldn’t fathom what kept them so occupied, and thought perhaps it was time to learn something of business from Liu Molan. As he was about to look around, someone suddenly called out, “Hey, you—turn around! Take these things to the office on the twelfth floor, quick!”

Startled, Qin Yang turned to see a cute young woman in office attire, panting at the door of an office. At her feet was a cardboard box almost as tall as her waist, clearly heavy. He looked around in confusion, but the girl pointed at him. “Stop looking—it’s you I’m talking to! Hurry up, I’m exhausted.”

Realizing she meant him, Qin Yang was amused and walked over. “How can I help, beautiful?”

“You’ve got a sweet tongue,” the woman said, delighted. She was indeed quite pretty, with a hint of baby fat in her cheeks that made her adorably charming—her large, lively eyes instantly revealed her as an innocent, guileless sort. She patted Qin Yang on the shoulder. “Do me a favor, would you? Once you take it up, I’ll treat you to tea.”

“Sounds good,” Qin Yang replied with a grin.

“Be careful—what’s inside is valuable, and it’s really heavy, so take it slow.” The girl hurried to caution him as he bent to lift it. But when she saw Qin Yang heft the box onto his shoulder with effortless ease, she stared in amazement. “You’re really strong!”

“Where to?” Qin Yang asked.

“To the elevator first,” she replied, snapping out of her daze.

After they reached the elevator and set the box down, the girl’s amazement only grew at how unbothered he seemed. Qin Yang patted his shoulder in mock annoyance. “Aren’t there any men in this company? Making a girl carry something this heavy—don’t they know how to treat a lady? What a lousy company.”

“Hey, be careful what you say!” The girl was startled. “If anyone from the general affairs department hears that, you’re dead—they’ll say you’re insulting the company’s image. You’d get fired for sure.”

Qin Yang patted his chest. “It’s fine, they can’t fire me.”

The girl looked at him with curiosity. “The people in the investigation unit are ruthless—are you someone important? They can’t fire you?”

“If I were someone important, do you think I’d be helping you carry boxes? You’ve watched too many TV dramas,” Qin Yang retorted.

The girl thought for a moment. “I suppose you’re right. My name’s Su Man. What’s yours?”

“Qin Yang,” he replied, shaking her hand.

“Qin Yang? Never heard of you. Are you new?” Su Man asked, intrigued.

“Sort of,” Qin Yang replied with a smile. “But why were you carrying such a heavy box anyway? Shouldn’t that be a man’s job?”

“They all had something come up—got calls and had to leave in a hurry,” Su Man said without concern. “But the general manager needed this urgently, so I had to bring it up. Didn’t expect it to be so heavy, so I asked you for help.”

Qin Yang chuckled. “You’re really dedicated. Let me help you get it upstairs.”

“Mm,” Su Man nodded. “Thank you—I’ll definitely treat you to tea.”

When they reached the twelfth floor, Qin Yang hoisted the box again. Su Man looked around and said, “Be careful. The general manager said to handle it with care. If anything happens, we’ll both be in trouble.”

“You two—hurry up! How can you be so slow carrying a box? Do you want to keep your jobs or not?” barked a sexy secretary at the door of the general manager’s office, frowning impatiently. “Move it!”

Su Man pouted. “It’s really heavy.”

“What did you say?” The secretary’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed threateningly.

“Nothing—I was just telling him to be careful,” Su Man stammered, shaking her head.

“Hmph.” The secretary snorted and sashayed into the office. Su Man held the door for Qin Yang, who set the box down inside. A middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses sat at his desk. Though not particularly handsome, he was passably presentable, but the ambiguous glances exchanged between him and the secretary were enough to make one’s skin crawl. The secretary, too, had dropped all pretense, becoming coquettish and flirtatious, making suggestive gestures at the man as if the two outsiders weren’t even there.

Su Man averted her gaze, eager to finish and leave.

The general manager’s name was Guo Yang. He waved the secretary away, and she shot him a flirtatious look before leaving. Guo Yang then told Qin Yang to move the box to another spot. Su Man started to help, but Guo Yang stopped her. “Su Man, I heard your father’s condition has worsened. How is he now?”

“He’s still in the hospital,” Su Man replied, head lowered. “But the doctors say his condition is stable.”

“Good,” Guo Yang said, sipping his tea. “I have a guest tonight, a friend of mine who’s a doctor. I’ll introduce you—you might find him helpful for your father.”

“Really?” Su Man’s face lit up. “Thank you so much!”

“It’s nothing,” Guo Yang waved it off. “It’s the least I can do. By the way, would you be interested in becoming my secretary? It’s tough working down below.”

“I… I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Su Man hesitated, thinking of the secretary she’d just seen. That woman had once been her colleague—a university graduate with ideals, who in less than three months had become the subject of gossip as the general manager’s mistress. Su Man did not want that kind of reputation, but she dared not refuse the offer outright, given that Guo Yang was helping her.

Qin Yang, having set down the box, stepped forward. “It’s in place.”

“Move it over there—I don’t like it here,” Guo Yang said offhandedly, not sparing Qin Yang a glance as he continued speaking to Su Man. “Think it over. I need a trustworthy secretary. Otherwise, my doctor friend won’t be happy either.”

Qin Yang nearly wanted to slap this bastard, but simply rolled his eyes and moved the box again. “All right, it’s done.”

“Fine, you may go,” Guo Yang waved him off.

Qin Yang said, “You haven’t paid me yet.”

“Paid you? For what?” Both Guo Yang and Su Man stared at him, baffled.

Qin Yang nodded. “Of course. I helped Su Man bring the box up as a personal favor, but I moved it around your office twice—don’t I get paid for that? You think I work for free?”

“What department are you from?” Guo Yang asked coldly.

“Department? I’m talking about my pay,” Qin Yang shot back. “Ten thousand per trip, two trips, that’s twenty thousand.”

Guo Yang slammed the desk in fury. “You’ve got some nerve! Do you still want to work here?”

Even Su Man was frightened. “Qin Yang, what are you doing? Are you trying to get us both in trouble?”

“Relax,” Qin Yang said, stepping forward and holding out his hand to Guo Yang. “Pay up, or I’ll make a scene.”

“Make a scene? Do you know where you are?” Guo Yang sneered. “You’re bold, I’ll give you that.”

Just then, Guo Yang’s phone rang. He checked the caller ID and paled, hastily answering. “Boss Cao, what can I do for you?”

“Boss Cao? Where is that bastard?” Qin Yang’s anger flared at the mention of that name—he still had a score to settle with him!